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tians is of no consequence, for they are assured that they Asia Min
have passed away from a State of Death to a State of
Life, because they love their Brethren-but he that loves not
his Brother remains still in a State of spiritual Death,
unconverted, and unregenerated-He who hates his Bro-
ther has the same Malice and evil Principle in him which
was in Cain; and were he not restrained by Human
Laws, would be like him a Murderer-No Man who
cherishes such feelings can have the Divine Life dwelling
within him-The great Love of God was made known by
his Son laying down his Life for Mankind, and Chris-
tians should be willing from Love to God to sacrifice their
Lives for the benefit of Mankind-But, instead of doing
this, if those who have the good Things of the present
World refuse to impart a portion of them to a Brother in
need, it is not possible they can have the Love of God
abiding in them.

9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for
his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he
is born of God.

10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness, is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and
slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because
his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
14 We know that we have passed from death unto life,
because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his
brother abideth in death.

15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and
ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

§ 7. 1 JOHN iii. 18, to the end.

The Apostle exhorts them not to be content with an acknow-
ledgment of these great Doctrines, nor with empty Pro-
fessions of Love-but to prove their Conviction of their
Truth by their actions-Love to God and Man is the surest
test which Christians have of the Truth of their Religion
-and this proof will assure them their Hearts are right
in his Sight-If their Conscience condemn them as being

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96.

CHARITY AND LOVE, THE DUTY OF CHRISTIANS.

703

deficient in brotherly Love and Charity, God, who is Asia Minor, Vulgar Era, greater than their Heart, and sees all its Secrets, will condemn them in a much greater degree-but if their Conscience condemns them not, they have Confidence towards God, and they know that whatsoever they ask they shall receive, as far as is consistent with their own good-because they keep his Commandments, and do the things which they consider pleasing in his sight-And this is God's great and new Commandment, that they should believe in his Son Jesus Christ, and be enabled, through his Holy Spirit, to love one another, as Christ by his own Example has given them Commandment-Those who keep God's Commandments live in communion with the Father and the Son, through his Spirit, and they know that God dwells within them by the testimony of his Spirit, and its influence on their Hearts and Lives, (com. John xiv. 23.)

18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God:

22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

§ 8. 1 JOHN iv. 1—6.

St. John exhorts them not to believe every Teacher who pro-
fesses to be divinely inspired, but to make trial of them-
because many false Teachers have gone out into the
World-Those who have the Divine Spirit are known by
maintaining that Jesus is the Christ come in the Flesh,
(1 Cor. xii. 3.)-Every Teacher who denies that Jesus
Christ had come in the Flesh is not from God-but is of
the Antichrists, or Deceivers, foretold, (Mark xxiv. 24.)
-But they, under the influence of the divine Spirit, have
overcome the Doctrines of these Impostors, for greater is
the Spirit of God which is in them, than the Spirit of the
Evil One which is in the World-These seek only the
Things of this World, governed by the carnal principle,
and worldly Men hear them-But the Apostles are of

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God-influenced by the spiritual principle, and those Asia Miner. Ji

who have spiritual Discernment receive their Doctrine—
and by their Lives and Doctrines the true and false
Teachers may be known.

1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits
whether they are of God; because many false prophets
are gone out into the world.

2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God.

3 And every Spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God, heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

$ 9. 1 JOHN iv. 7, to the end.

The Apostle, in Condemnation perhaps of those who in-
sisted on the sufficiency of speculative Knowledge, exhorts
them to the practice of mutual Love, which proceeds from
the Spirit of God-for every one who is governed by this
divine principle of Love is born of God, spiritually rege-
nerated, and made a partaker of his Nature-He that
loves not, has no Knowledge of the divine Nature of
God, which is essentially Love-The infinite Love of God
was made manifest by the Incarnation of his only begotten
Son, who died for Mankind, and became the Propitiation
for their Sins, that they might live through him-No
Man hath seen God, because he cannot be an object of
Sense, but, if they love one another, God dwells in them
by his Spirit, and his Love is made perfect in them, and
by this evidence of his Spirit they are assured that God
dwells in them-The Apostles having seen Jesus Christ
made manifest in the Flesh, and what he did for the
Salvation of Man, bear witness that the Father sent the
Son in the Flesh to be the Saviour of the World-Who-
soever shall acknowledge the reality of Christ's Incarna-
tion and Divinity, (which many denied) God dwells with
him through the Spirit, and he in God-They have wit-
nessed the great Love of God to Mankind in sending his
Son to die in the Flesh-God is Love, and he who dwells
in Love to God and Man is full of God, for God is the
Essence of Love; and Love is made perfect by God

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LOVE TO MAN, THE BEST PROOF OF LOVE TO GOD.

705 uniting Man to himself by his Holy Spirit; which Union Asia Minor. gives him Confidence in the Day of Judgment, and removes all his Fears-He that feareth hath not received that fulness of Love to God and Man, which proceeds from God, and is the abiding Witness of the Spirit renewing the Image of God in Man-The Love of Man to God proceeds from God's Love shewn to them-He, therefore, who asserts that he loves God, and hates his Brother, whose excellencies and good qualities he has seen, and therefore will be more disposed to love, cannot love God, whose Perfections cannot be seen- -God has also commanded that they should give a proof of their Love to him, by their Love to Mankind.

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth, is born of God, and knoweth God.

8 He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love.

9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected

in us.

13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

14 And we have seen, and do testify, that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of
God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

16 And we have known and believed the love that God
hath to us.
God is love; and he that dwelleth in love
dwelleth in God, and God in him.

17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have
boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are
we in this world.

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth, is not made perfect in love.

19 We love him because he first loved us.

20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

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21 And this commandment have we from him, that he Asia Min riod 4799. who loveth God love his brother also.

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96.

§ 11. 1 JOHN v. 1-12.

The Apostle, after having declared that all who believe that Jesus is the Christ are born of God, by the influence of his Spirit, asserts that those who love God, their spiritual Father, must necessarily love his Children-The best criterion they have of judging of their own Faith, is to find out whether their love to the Children of God proceeds from a right principle, from love to God and obedience to his Commandments; which are not burthensome to those who love God-Those who are spiritually regenerated, are able, by a true Faith in the Son of God, to overcome all the Temptations of the World-This is that Jesus, who was proved in Human Form to be the promised Messiah, by Water at his Baptism, by a Voice from Heaven, and the visible Descent of the Holy Spirit-and not by Water only, but by Blood-by the sacrifice of his Humanity, when the same Spirit bore Witness to his Divinity, and the Accomplishment of all Prophecy, by his Resurrection; and the Spirit cannot deceive-There are three that bear record in Heaven-The Father, by accepting the Atonement of his Son-The Word, who presents his crucified Body before the Throne of God-The Holy Ghost, by whom the Word was conceived, and made Flesh; and these three are one, as to the Unity of their Design, and the Divinity of their Nature-And there are three that bear Witness on Earth-The Holy Spirit, by his miraculous and sanctifying Influences, and by the written Word-The Water of Baptism, by which Mankind are admitted into the Family of God, the visible Church, and receive a new and spiritual Birth-And the Blood of Christ, which is represented in the Eucharist, and shews forth the sacrifice of his Humanity, by which the new and eternal Life is obtained-And these three are constantly witnessing on Earth the efficacy of Christ's Death, his Humanity and Deity-If the Testimony of human Evidence is received, (Deut. xvii. 6.) the Testimony of God is greater; for he who has Faith in God shall have the witness of the Spirit within himself, regenerating his whole Nature-But he who believeth not maketh him a Liar, refusing to believe the testimony God has given in his Prophecies, and wonderful Interpositions, to attest the Divinity of Christ-The Testimony witnessed by the three in Heaven, and the three on Earth, is, that God will give to Man eternal Life through his Son-He that conforms himself to the Image of Christ, making a sacrifice of Flesh (Blood), hath the heavenly Life begun